Wire for brassieres



Sept- 11, 1956 R. BERMUELLER 2,762,055

WIRE FOR BRASSIERES Filed OG. 25,. 1954 INVENTOR iczarermzzeZZe/r United States Patent O WIRE FOR BRASSIERES Application October 25, 1954, Serial No. 464,352

1 Claim. (Cl. 2-264) This invention relates to reinforcing or supporting wires for brassieres, and has for one of its objects the provision of means by which a wire of this character can be regulated as to its elective length and is provided with means by which both adjustability and exibility in required areas can be secured.

In brassieres of certain types, the breast cups are partially surrounded by sleeves or elongated pockets in which stiffening wires are contained. Very often these wires cause discomfort to the wearer, particularly when the wearer stoops, bend or moves about. Very often also, when an improperly iitting brassiere is Worn, considerable discomfort is caused by the wires engaging parts of the body and exerting pressure or forcible frictional contact thereon. Since no means is ordinarily provided, by which adjustability of these wires can be had, the purchaser and wearer of brassieres of these types must exercise extraordinary care in the selection of one which properly ts the individual and can be worn with comfort.

It is therefore one of the objects of the present invention to provide a reinforcing or stiiening wire which will be regulatable in length, thereby enabling the wearer to adjust the wire to secure the most satisfactory results in both appearance and comfort of wear. It is a further object of the invention to provide an adjusting means so arranged that it will be laterally exible; will thus give or bend under body pressure, while at the same time will provide the necessary support and body coverage, and this despite active body movements of the wearer. It is an object of the invention to provide an adjustable means which will be of simple construction; in which the parts are easily interiitted and will smoothly operate; in which adjustability is simply and eectively had, and which will cause no protrusious on or through the brasiere or create projections likely to contact with and injure the body of the wearer.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the provision of a reinforcing wire of suitable shape to t under, over or around the bust cup and which is provided with one or more threadably-adjustable elements by means of which the effective length of the wire can be regulated and which elements at the same time will serve as ilexible and resilient areas along the length of the wire.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claim appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

Fig. l is a front elevational view of a reinforcing wire for brassieres, constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged View of a portion of the spiral adjuster and one end of the wire engaged thereby;

Fig. 3 is a view of one end of the wire showing the lateral extension or lug formed thereon;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, and

l 2,762,055 Patented Sept. 11, 1956 Fig. 5 is a modified construction in which two ends of a reinforcing wire are engaged by a spiral adjuster.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly to Fig. l thereof, 1 indicates a curved or arcuately-shaped wire of the type conventionally employed in brassieres either below or at the top of the bust cups. Said wire is provided at one end with a rounded protective head 2 and is formed at its other end with a laterally-bent, integral extension or lug 4. This lug is not a part of the conventionallyknown wire reinforcement, but forms a part of the present invention.

The adjusting member in the form shown, for the wire, consists of a spiral or coil spring 5 which closely encircles the wire 1 and is fitted over one end of the same. The spiral 5, when so ttted on the wire, as shown in Fig. l, has the lateral extension or lug 4 at the end of the wire 1, engaging the spiral between its convolutions, in the manner shown in Fig. 2, so that by manual rotative movement of the spiral relatively to the wire, it can be moved off or onto the wire to the desired extent to thereby regulate the effective length of the reinforcement,

which then consists of the wire and the fitted-on ad.

juster 5.

To facilitate the manual rotation of the spiral 5 and thus control the regulation of the etective length of the reinforcing member, a linger-piece in the form of a knurled knob 7 is provided on one end of a plug 6 which has a part 16 fitted within one or more of the end convolutions of the spiral 5 and is soldered or otherwise lixedly attached thereto. Hence, when the knob 7 is manually turned, the spring will be threadably moved toward or away from the end 3 of the wire 1 and thus the overall length of the reinforcement precisely regulated. lt will be noted from Figs. 2 and 4 that the lug portion 4, at the end 3 of the wire, is of a size that it does not protrude beyond the periphery of the spiral 5 and hence forms no projecting end likely to contact with and injure the body of the wearer. l

When the stitener or reinforcement is inserted in a brassiere or other garment, it will be contined within the usual sleeve or elongated pocket surrounding the bust cup, but with the knob 7 exposed or otherwise made available for manual engagement to thereby enable the effective length of the reinforcement to be regulated to provide the proper tit and thus the most comfort in wear. By turning the knob 7 as required, the overall length of the reinforcement can be regulated precisely and accurately to suit the individual wearer. Since the adjustment requires rotative movement of the spiral 5, it will be apparent that no non-rotative lengthwise sliding movement of the spiral 5 relative to the wire 1 can take place and hence any inadvertent relative shifting movements of the spiral 5 and wire 1 will not occur. Therefore, when the reinforcement is once adjusted as to its length it will remain so adjusted indefinitely.

ln addition to enabling the overall effective length ot `die reinforcement to be adjusted, the employment of a eXible spiral element, such as the coil spring 5, also lends considerable ilexibility and resiliency to the reinrorcement and particularly at the end of the same when a portion of the spiral extends beyond the end 3 of the wire, or that projecting portion or" the Spiral designated at l5 in Fig. 1. This portion of the spiral, being unresrained by the absence of the wire within its coils, is flexible laterally and thus the relatively stiff and inflexible wire end which causes discomfort in many types of wired brassieres, will be eliminated and exibility provided in a portion of the reinforcement where it is most needed to secure wearing comfort.

While I have shown the wire 1 as being provided at only one end with the spiral adjuster, it will be apparent that a similar adjuster may be provided at both ends.

Also, as disclosed in lFig. 5, a center adjuster is possible. In this embodiment of the invention, two wire ends are respectively indicated atS and 9, and each of these ends is formed with an offset lug 10, similar to that shown 211.4. Two spiralstare respectively indicated at V11' and 12, that shown at `11 -threadably engaging` the lug'l o n the wire9, while that shown Yat 12 threadably engages fthe 'lug 710 on the wire v8. 'Both of the spiralsw 11 and 12 are xedly attached at one end to thev kriurled adjusting plug 13. rI "his arrangement 'is such that when the knurled adjusting plug `13 is manually turned, the wires 8 and 9 will be brought towardone another or moved apart according to the direction of'manual rotation of the plug 13 and thus the eective length of the reinforcement will be regulated and of which the Wires ,8 and ,9, and spirals 11 and 12yforrn a part.

The spirals shown at 5, '11 ,and 12 can be made of springyfpreferably non-corrosive wire, or made of plastic of sucient resilience, or these spirals might be internallyY threadedv sleeves or other suitable elements by which a threadable engagement with the wire or parts thereof might be eifective to thereby regulate thefoverall length ofthe reinforcement of which these elements and aV cooperating Wire form a part. Also, while I have herein suggestedV that the spiral elements-might be positionedV at Y one or the other, or at both ends, of a wire reinforcementl for threadable engagement therewith, or positioned cen-- trallyV of a wire reinforcement, as suggested in Fig. '5, it will be apparent that one or more of the spirals might be otherwise located along the rlength of 'the wire for the arcanes securernent of adjustment at special points thereon as well as for exceptional resiliency at such locations.

Having described a singleembodiment of the invention,

it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, n but is broad enough to Coverall structures coming within Y the scope of the annexed claim.k

What I claim is: l

An adjustable Wille reinfiorcenlentgfpr kbrassieres cornprising, a wire for tment at lthe bust cup of a brassiere,

a laterally-termed.extension .at fone end @t the :a

erilffle `coilspring having .spaced-anartlcsinrelutienstitled around said lateral extension of the wire andlongitudinally adiustable. on the wire to, extend. to a Vgreater or' .Y lesser vextent beyond thel sgaidend ofthe wire',` the eX- tended portion ofthespring gfoririinga lflexible extension`A Y of the wire, the laterally-formed extension on the wire tting between the convolutions of the spring and requiring manual rotative movement of the spring relatively to the'wire to shift the spring 'longitudinally Vrelativelyto the wire, said spring being laterallyexible and ,having'a nger-wpiece fitted at one fend thereof to facilitate the rotation ofthe spring on 'the Wire on whichr itis tted.

References Cited in the lle of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS,

Grabowska Ju1y`4, 195o 2,644,947 chwartz n July 14; 1953` 790.768 Kress, Y v Feb, 1, 1955 

